RUN!

Oh, my poor, dear, neglected blog!  It's been over 3 months, but here's something! :)  I didn't have a whole ton of time and I'm not the best writer, but I had something that was on my heart that I felt needed to be shared to anyone who was interested in listening.


Let me just start out by saying, what a wonderful God we serve!  When I sat down to read my Bible this morning, I prayed and asked God to use His word to speak into my life this day and show me something I had never seen before.  Wow, did He deliver!  Not only did He do that, but I also got an idea for a blog post in the bargain! :)


Anyway, after I prayed, I started reading my Bible and found myself in the book of Acts (amazing book!) reading about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.  Now, I've heard this story tons of times and it's one that I really enjoy, but I got to see it with new eyes today.


Acts 8:26-31


²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. ²⁷ So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 
³⁰ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
³¹ And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² The place in the Scripture which he read was this: 


“ He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
      And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
       So He opened not His mouth.
       ³³ In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
      And who will declare His generation?
      For His life is taken from the earth.”<sup>[Isaiah 53:7,8]

34</sup> So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. ³⁶ Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 
³⁷ Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” 
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”^[c]
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. ³⁹ Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.


Now, the coolest part of this story is probably the fact that Philip was caught away and 'transported' about 20 miles away after he baptized the eunuch and the eunuch went away rejoicing!  But that's not the part that stuck out at me (and convicted me) today.  No, it's much deeper than that.


Verse 29 says, "Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go near and overtake this chariot.' "  And what's the very next thing that is said?  "So Philip ran to him"  He didn't walk, he didn't ask God for confirmation this is what He wanted him to do, he didn't pull out his Bible to check if this was the right thing to do, he RAN.  The Spirit spoke and he ran.  No questions asked.  And Philip, the eunuch, every person who knew either one of them and every person who has read the Bible since then has been blessed.  All because of one simple act - the Spirit spoke and Philip ran.


How many times have we asked for God to reveal something to us or use us in a mighty way or start a revival?  How many times have we sought Him and asked what we were supposed to do in a situation or asked Him what He wanted us to do with our lives?  How many times?  If you're anything like me, a lot!  How many times has He whispered the answer and we delayed?  How many times has He shown us something and we decided we needed to pray more about it or asked for more confirmation?  Gideon and his fleeces come to mind - what would have happened in this situation if Philip went home to 'lay out some fleeces'  The eunuch would have been home in Ethiopia by the time Philip learned this was what he was supposed to do!  How many times have we hesitated saying something to someone because 'we weren't sure we are going to say the right thing'?  How many times?  How many times has God told us to do something and we ran after it?  Hopefully at least a few times!  And how amazing and rewarding and encouraging and blessing-filled were those times?!?!


As Dr. Jeff Myers says in his book 'Handoff' (call-out to Jeff Reid for posting this on Facebook last night - God's timing is amazing!) "When you're doing what God designed you to do, your Master can guide you in a whisper."  This is what happened to Philip.  His heart was focused on his Heavenly Father and what he could be doing to serve Him.  And an angel came and woke him up in the morning: “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (v.26) and Philip went.  That's all it took and nations were blessed because of it.


Now, you're probably thinking, "God has never spoken to me like that.  If He had, I would certainly have done what He asked me to do!  He just doesn't talk to people like that anymore."  And I say, "have you ever listened?"  I'm speaking to myself, too.  We get so lost in day-to-day life, all the things we have to accomplish and all the information we have to sort through on a daily basis, we don't take the time to sit down and listen.  And I mean really listen.  We have lost that art.  We all have something we need to say, some point we need to get across it to another person or even to God, that we don't sit down and listen. 


Brothers and sisters, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  The way He operates and who He is never changes!  He didn't just speak to people in the Old and New Testaments and then stop.  We just stopped listening.  Granted, they didn't have the Bible like we do and needed some more 'speaking to,' but I submit that God speaks to people today and not as many as He would if more people were listening.


Again I ask, how often do you ask God for wisdom and guidance?  How often do you run after it once you ask?  You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you and as long as you are focused on your Master, you will be able to run and do incredible things for His kingdom!


Again, I say what a wonderful God we serve!  What are we going to do about it?  Where are you going to run??


Blessings in Christ,

Amy Carmichael Prayer

Once again, I don't have time for a decent post, but I was reading A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael today while I was waiting for my sister at the chiropractor and came across this poem that she wrote during a very hard, confusing time in her life.  I had to share!

And shall I pray Thee change Thy will, my Father,

Until it be according unto mine?

But, no, Lord, no, that never shall be, rather

I pray Thee blend my human will with Thine.

I pray Thee hush the hurrying, eager longing,

I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen desire--

See in my quiet places, wishes thronging--

Forbid them, Lord, purge, though it be with fire.

And work in me to will and do Thy pleasure

Let all within me, peaceful, reconciled,

Tarry content my Well-Beloved's leisure,

At last, at last, even as a weaned child.

Blessings in Christ,

The Gospel

I had every intention of doing a nice sized post today, but after staring at my computer screen all day long for work, I just need to get up, turn off the computer and go something constructive with myself!  However, I will leave you this to chew on.  And, trust me, it's a full on meal packed into it's 11 minute size!

Have an awe-filled rest of your day remembering what He came to do for you and how you are going to share that with the world!

Blessings in Christ,

Rejoice in the Lord

This week is going to be very sporadic on posts because I start my new responsibilities at work this week!  (Exciting, but crazy!)  However, I came across this powerful verse today and wanted to share it.  


Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—  Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s  feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills. 


Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV (for the record, I love the old King James version of the Bible and that's what I do my daily reading out of.  However, when I memorize scripture, I do it in the New King James because when I want to quote it to someone [especially an unbeliever] down the road they are most likely going to appreciate it more if they can understand it and it's not in archaic English!)


How powerful is that?  No matter what happens, Habakkuk has realized (yes, realized; just read chapter one if you want to know what Habakkuk thought of God shortly before writing this powerful passage!) God is his joy and his strength.  No matter what happens in this life, the stock market crashes, abortion stays legal, the value of the dollar continues to plummet, droughts, pestilence, floods, food supplies dwindle, you get tossed in a jail and tortured, we can still rejoice in our Lord because He is our God of our salvation!  He is our strength and He will give us the strength, wisdom and whatever else we may need to navigate the high, steep, 'insurmountable' hills in our lives.  What a mighty God we serve!!


Blessings in Christ,
 

Kitchen: 'Ice Cream'

I just made this 'ice cream' last night and it was delicious!!  It is made with yogurt (so it's a bit tangy) instead of milk and/or cream and honey instead of white sugar, so it certainly tastes a little bit different, but is oh, so much better for you!  We're split about 50/50 in my family when it comes to liking it.  But, I'm the one who can't/won't have the other stuff, so I'm a happy camper!  I got the original recipe from my new favorite cookbook: The Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager and Jenny Hess, but tweaked it quite a bit and added some of the deliciousness!  Feel free to substitute your own fruit or chocolate or caramel or anything else - it's ice cream, you really can't mess this one up!

Coconut-Pineapple Yogurt Ice Cream

2 cups whole milk yogurt (if you have or want to make your own yogurt with half-and-half, even better.  I used the European Style Organic Whole Milk Yogurt from Trader Joe's)

Honey (how much you use depends on preference - the original recipe called for 1/2 cup, yesterday I put about 3 Tbsp in and next time I might use a little bit less.  It doesn't taste too sweet if you use the whole 1/2 cup [I have tried it before with the full amount], I just prefer to use the smallest amount of sweetener possible.  Also, keep in mind that the less honey you use, the tangier the ice cream is going to taste because of the yogurt.)

2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract (don't use the fake stuff.  Also, you can substitute 2 tsp almond extract if you prefer the flavor, are out of vanilla [like I was last night!] or if it will go better with what you are putting into the ice cream.  If you go with my mom's cherry almond idea, you are definitely going to want to go with the almond extract!)

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and place in an ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer's directions.  You can either finish at this point or proceed and put some deliciousness in it!

Here's the problem, I don't really measure when I don't have to, so I'm not terribly sure how much pineapple and coconut I put in the ice cream!!  I pretty much just added by small handfuls until I thought I had enough...  So, just add what you feel it needs! :)

Canned pineapple (crushed is best, but you can also cut/crush up your own tidbits or chunks depending on what you have on hand - I had chunks on hand, so made do.  I think I used between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup, plus a splash or so of the pineapple juice from the can)

Toasted coconut flakes (sprinkle coconut flakes on a baking sheet and place in 350 degree oven for about 3 minutes.  Be sure to keep an eye on it because it goes from white to dark brown/black really fast!!  Yes, it did happen to me last night!  I probably put about 1/2 cup of the second coconut batch in the ice cream.)

Mix add-ins into the ice cream and eat if you like soft serve or put ice cream in a freezer-safe container and place in freezer for a few hours until harder.

As I experiment more and more, I'll mention what other add-ins I try (and I'll try to remember to measure them!) and how they turned out.  If you experiment any, let me know!  I'd love to hear how it worked for you and what you came up with! :)

Bon appetit!!

Blessings in Christ,

What I'm Listening To Today

I was running errands with my youngest sister yesterday and she was picking music on my iPod. We listened to quite the variety of music, but when she picked this song that we hadn't listened to in a while, it stuck with me. (Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom to the blog before watching the video!)

One of these days we're going to be able to ask Moses how crossing over the Red Sea was. We're going to be able to ask Esther what it was like to approach the king with her request. We're going to be able to ask David what it was like to slay Goliath. We're going to be able to ask Mary what it was like to carry the Savior of the world. We're going to be able to see what Paul saw and couldn't speak about. And all of that will pale in comparison to being able to see 'my Jesus face to face!' What a glorious day that will be!!

Blessings in Christ,

The Miracle of Creation

Today I started reading The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul.  I know, I know, I'm starting yet another book, but I do like to have one biography, one theology and one fiction (when I have time) book going, so now I've got all three! :)  In the first chapter, Dr. Sproul talks about the creation of the universe and the awesomeness of it and I just had to share!  We sometimes just read the black words on the white page: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."  I hope this passage will help you (as it helped me) realize the majesty and grandeur of the sentence that begins the Book of all books!

"God's fiats [explained in an earlier passage to be 'a command or an act of the will that creates something'] are not so limited.  He can create by the sheer force of His divine command.  He can bring something out of nothing, life out of death.  He can so these things by the sound of His voice.


The first sound uttered in the universe was the voice of God commanding, 'Let there be!'  It is improper to say that this was the first sound 'in' the universe because until the sound was made there was no universe for it to be in.  God shouted into a void.  Perhaps it was a kind of primal scream directed at empty darkness."


The command created its own molecules to carry the sound waves of God's voice farther and farther into space.  Yet sound waves would take too long.  The speed of this imperative exceeded the speed of light.  As soon as the words left the Creator's mouth, things began to happen.  Where His voice reverberated, stars appeared, glowing in unspeakable brilliance in tempo with the songs of angels.  The force of divine energy splattered against the sky like a kaleidoscope of color hurled from the palate of a powerful artist.  Comets crisscrossed the sky with flashing tails like Fourth of July skyrockets.


The act of creation was the first event in history.  It was also the most dazzling.  The supreme Architect gazed as His complex blueprint and shouted commands for the boundaries of the world to be set.  He spoke, and the seas were shut behind doors, and the clouds were filled with dew.  He bound the Pleiades and buckled the belt of Orion.  He spoke again, and the earth began to fill with orchards in full bloom.  Blossoms burst forth like springtime in Mississippi.  The lavender hues of plum trees dance with the brilliance of azaleas and forsythia.


God spoke once more, and the waters teemed with living things.  The snail sneaked beneath the shadowy form of the stingray, while the great marlin broke the surface of the water to promenade on the waves with his tail.  Again He spoke, and the roar of the lion and the bleating of sheep were heard.  Four-footed animals, eight-legged spiders, and winged insects appeared.


And God said, 'That's good.'


Then God stooped to to earth and carefully fashioned a piece of clay.  He lifted it gently to His lips and breathed into it.  The clay began to move.  It began to think.  It began to feel.  It began to worship.  It was alive and stamped with the image of its Creator."

Unfortunately, I can't type up the whole chapter I just read and the things it got me thinking about.  I cannot wait to continue reading this book!!  (Thank you dear student, you know who you are, for telling me about this book!!)  I have been blessed immensely already and I've read a grand total of 8 pages!

What a mighty God we serve!!

Blessings in Christ,